October 2007
Inevitably, the main focus of the recent Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth was the new Prime Minister's speech.
There is a slogan doing the rounds at the moment which sums up Gordon Brown's first few months as Prime Minister and his conference speech, 'not flash, just Gordon!' I was pleased with the conference speech for that very reason: solid, reassuring, emphasising our responsibilities as citizens and assuring opportunities for all.
As you would expect, given my keen interest in carers and disability issues, I was especially delighted with this part of his speech:
"A growing number of parents who care for their children now also care for elderly relatives. I want our new carers' commission to hear the call for change from millions of carers and this government will now do more for respite care, for training of carers, for better pension rights and to give new priority to caring for disabled children."
One of the positive developments in major political conferences nowadays is the growth of fringe meetings outside the main conference hall. This year I chaired two such meetings, one on lifelong learning and the other on the needs of young people not in education training and work.
The meeting on young people was particularly rewarding for me because it involved two organisations undertaking excellent work in my Aberavon Constituency: Shaw Trust at Llandarcy undertakes outstanding work helping young people with disabilities to enter the workplace, and the YWCA at Cwmafan helps young women meet their full potential, whether in sport, education or work.
Back in the Constituency, I have been talking to many community groups about environmental issues over the summer. I received a petition of 5400 signatures on the steps of the Civic Centre concerning the proposed biomass plant at the docks. I delivered that petition last week to the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
Shortly afterwards, the Aberavon Labour Party voted to call for a moratorium on any further energy plants until such time as our local air quality significantly improves.
Something is therefore stirring locally. Expectations are higher and rightly so. Gordon Brown may well have been listening to my local communities when he said, "a Britain of aspiration and also a Britain of mutual obligation where all play a part and recognise the duties we owe to each other."
